The Detroit Lions defensive coordinator won't be coaching from the sideline this year. Instead, he'll be calling plays up from a box high above the field.

"I kind of like it," Cunningham said. "There's a lot of things you see up there very quickly and I can communicate it down to the sidelines. It's very helpful."

This isn't new territory for Cunningham. He spent many seasons calling plays from above in Kansas City, Tennessee and his first years in Detroit.

Lions coach Jim Schwartz views the aerial perspective Cunningham will have as beneficial for the defense.

"He has a bird's eye view of everything and I think that's important for our defense," Schwartz said. "From a coordinator-standpoint, with any corrections we need made, it's a lot easier to see it up there."

Schwartz admits there has been a transition in the way the team relays calls and signals, but many of those kinks were worked out in the preseason.